■wnvtMnffin! 


^IflQb 


S$I 


Columbia  (Btttomitp 
mtfteCttpofJtogork 

College  of  ^ijpsiciauss  ana  burgeons 
Hiforarp 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Open  Knowledge  Commons 


http://www.archive.org/details/foodforyoungchilOOhunt 


•R3*>t 


Oflrrmhfa  UniveK 


UNITED   STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 


FAKMERS' 
BULLETIN 


Washington,  D.  C. 


717 


March  4,  1916 


Contribution  from  the  States  Relations  Service,  A.  C  True,  Director. 


FOOD  FOR  YOUNG  CHILDREN. 

By  Caroline  L.  Hunt, 

Scientific  Assistant,  Office  of  Home  Economics. 

Food  for  children  between  three  and  six  years  of  age  should  be 
chosen  with  reference  to  their  bodily  needs,   as  described  in  the 


Fig.  1.— A  healthy  child  having  a  sensible  meal.    Every  child  needs  clean,  wholesome  food,  well  prepared, 
and  served  in  quantity  and  variety  sufficient  for  normal  growth. 

following  pages,  and  should  be  carefully  prepared  and  attractively 
served  as  shown  in  the  above  picture. 

1  Prepared  under  the  direction  of  C.  F.  Langworthy,  Chief,  Office  of  Home  Economics. 

Note. — This  bulletin  is  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  child  feeding  now  generally  accepted  by 
the  best  authorities,  and  also  embodies  the  results  of  work  done  in  the  laboratory  of  the  Office  of  Home 
Economics  of  the  States  Relations  Service,  U.S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  It  is  specially  adapted  to 
the  use  of  mothers  who  wish  some  simple  and  short  discussion  of  the  subject  expressed  in  housekeepers' 
terms. 

"—Bull.  717—16 1 


2  FARMERS     BULLETIN   717. 

INTRODUCTION. 

A  little  child  who  is  carefully  fed  in  accordance  with  his  bodily- 
needs  (as  these  are  now  understood)  receives  every  day  at  least  one 
food  from  each  of  the  following  groups : 

1.  Milk  and  dishes  made  chiefly  of  milk  (most  important  of  the 

group    as   regards   children's   diet) ;  meat,  fish,  poultry, 
eggs,  and  meat  substitutes. 

2.  Bread  and  other  cereal  foods. 

3.  Butter  and  other  wholesome  fats. 

4.  Vegetables  and  fruits. 

5.  Simple  sweets. 


Fig.  2.— A  sensible  breakfast  for  a  child.  The  breakfast  shown  consists  of  the  following:  Baked  apple, 
(pulp  only  for  the  youngest  children  and  for  those  with  whom  the  skin  disagrees)  (group  4);  cereal 
mush  (group  2);  milk  (group  1);  toast  and  butter  (groups  2  and  3). 

In  the  pictures  of  a  day's  meals  (breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper) 
shown  in  this  bulletin  each  of  these  groups  is  represented  by  a  food 
which  is  suitable  for  a  little  child,  each  food  being  numbered  to  indi- 
cate the  group  to  which  it  belongs.  The  purpose  is  to  show  a  day's 
ration  containing  enough  different  kinds  of  foods  to  meet  all  the 
child's  needs.  The  size  of  the  portions  would,  of  course,  depend  on 
the  child's  age.  With  usual  quantities  served  the  meals  should  be 
sufficient. 

Many  other  meals  might  have  been  shown,  for  there  is  no  food  in 
the  pictures,  except  milk,  which  could  not  have  been  replaced  by 
some  other  wholesome  food.  Milk,  if  it  can  be  procured,  should  form 
part  of  the  food  of  every  child,  except  when  for  some  special  reason 
the  doctor  objects,  and  this  he  seldom  does. 


POOD    FOR    YOIXG    CHILDREN.  3 

Tho  pictures  may  be  helpful  in  preparing  children's  meals.  The 
one  on  page  2  shows  a  breakfast,  the  one  below  a  dinner,  and  thai  on 
page  5  a  supper.  The  three  together  will  supply  food  for  a  day  in 
wholesome  and  suitable  form.  Those  meals  are  simple  and  such  as 
a  child  should  like.  The  quantity  served  should  vary  with  the  age 
of  the  child. 

The  picture  of  the  dinner  given  below  represents  the  heaviest  meal 
of  the  three  here  shown.  For  little  children  it  is  usually  considered 
wise  to  servo  such  a  meal  in  the  middle  of  the  day  rather  than  at 
night. 


Fig.  3. — A  sensible  dinner  for  a  child.  The  dinner  shown  above  consists  of  the  following:  Lamb  chop 
(group  1);  baked  potato  (group  4);  spinach  (finely  chopped  for  youngest  children)  (group  4);  bread  and 
butter  (groups  2  and  3);  rice  with  milk  and  sugar  (groups  1,  2,  and  5). 

The  picture  on  page  5  shows  a  well-chosen  supper  for  a  growing 
child.  The  foods  are  simple  and  simply  cooked,  but  are  the  kind 
liked  by  most  healthy  children.  As  all  the  pictures  show,  the  service 
is  orderly  and  neat  in  every  way.  This  is  important  because  it 
helps  to  form  neat  and  orderly  habits. 

The  following  bills  of  fare,  like  those  in  the  pictures,  are  simple, 
easy  to  prepare,  sufficiently  varied,  and,  if  well  prepared,  should  taste 
good.  They  are  so  planned  that  milk  and  another  food  from  group 
1  and  a  food  from  each  of  the  other  groups  will  be  served  at  least 
once  a  day. 


FARMERS 9   BULLETIN    717. 
SUGGESTED  BILLS  OF  FARE. 

BREAKFAST. 


Orange  (juice  only  for  the  youngest  chil- 
dren). 
Farina  with  milk. 
Bread  and  butter. 


Applesauce. 
Oatmeal  with  milk. 
Toast  and  butter. 


Baked  pears  (pulp  only  for  the  youngest 

children). 
Milk  toast. 
Cocoa. 


Stewed  prunes  (pulp  only  for  the  young- 
est children). 
Corn-meal  mush  and  milk. 
Toast  and  butter. 


Grape  fruit  (juice  only  for -the  youngest 

children) . 
Milk  toast  with  grated  yolk  of  hard-boiled 


Apple  (scraped  for  very  little  children). 

Toast. 

Hot  milk. 


In  each  case  enough  milk  should  be  given  to  make  up  the  required 
daily  amount,  which  is  about  a  quart. 


Meat  soup. 
Egg  on  toast. 
String  beans. 
Rice  pudding. 


Roast  beef. 
Baked  potato. 

Asparagus. 
Bread  and  jelly. 


Creamed  potatoes. 
Green  peas. 

Stewed    plums    with    thin    cereal-milk 
pudding. 

Baked  halibut. 

Boiled  potatoes. 

Stewed  celery. 

Boiled  rice  with  honey  or  sirup. 


Broiled  meat  cakes. 
Lamb  stew  with  carrots  and  potato.  Grits. 

Twice-baked  bread.  Creamed  carrots. 

Tapioca  custard.  Bread,  butter,  and  sugar  sandwiches. 

In  each  case  enough  milk  should  be  given  to  make  up  the  required 
daily  amount,  which  is  about  a  quart. 


SUPPER. 


Baked  potatoes,  served  with  cream  and 

salt,  or  with  milk  gravy. 
Cookies. 


Bread  and  milk. 
Apple  sauce. 
Sponge  cake. 


Potato-milk  soup. 
Twice-baked  bread. 
Marmalade  sandwiches. 


Graham  crackers  and  milk. 
Baked  custard. 


Milk  toast.    . 
Stewed  peaches. 
Cup  cake. 


Celery-milk  soup. 
Toast. 
Floating  island. 


FOOD   FOR  YOl    S<\    CHILDREN.  5 

In  each  case  enough  milk  should  be  given  to  make  up  the  required 
daily  amount,  which  is  about  a  quart. 

Though  all  the  foods  mentioned  in  the  bills  of  fare  may  be  in- 
cluded under  five  heads,  the  diet  need  not  be  monotonous,  for  many 
foods  come  under  each  class.  The  different  groups  are  described  in 
the  pages  that  follow. 


Fig.  4.— A  sensible  supper  for  a  child.  The  supper  shown  above  consists  of  the  following:  Milk  (group  1); 
Bread  (group  2) ;  stewed  prunes  (pulp  only  for  youngest  children)  (group  4) ;  plain  cookies  (omit  in  case  of 
youngest  children)  (group  5). 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  1.— MILK  AND  DISHES  MADE  CHIEFLY  FROM  IT;  FISH, 
POULTRY,  EGGS,  AND  MEAT  SUBSTITUTES. 

The  different  foods  mentioned  in  the  heading  of  this  group  have 
enough  in  common  to  warrant  bringing  them  together.  However, 
milk  is  such  an  important  food  for  children  that  it  is  desirable  to 
speak  of  it  by  itself. 

MILK  SERVED  IN  VARIOUS  WAYS. 

Milk  is  the  natural  food  of  babies  and  the  most  important  food 
for  young  children.  A  quart  of  milk  a  day  is  a  good  allowance  for  a 
child.  The  greater  part  of  this  is  usually  given  as  a  drink  or  served 
on  cereals  or  in  the  form  of  bread  and  milk.  Milk  may  also  be  served 
on  fruits  that  are  not  very  acid  (baked  apples  or  pears,  berries,  and 
others),  in  soups,  gravies,  custard,  junket,  and  other  puddings,  and 
may  be  used  in  place  of  water  in  cooking  cereals. 


6  farmers'  bulletin  _  111. 

Milk,  being  a  liquid,  is  sometimes  classed  with  water,  tea,  and 
coffee,  simply  .as  a  beverage,  by  those  who  do  not  understand  its 
value  as  food.  This  is  a  great  mistake.  If  all  the  water  were  to 
be  driven  off  from  a  quart  of  tea  or  coffee,  almost  nothing  would  be 
left,  and  the  little  that  remained  would  have  little  or  no  value  as 
food.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  water  were  driven  off  from  a  quart 
of  whole  milk,  there  would  be  left  about  half  a  cupful  of  the  very 
best  food  substances,  including  butter  fat,  a  kind  of  sugar  not  so 
sweet  as  granulated  sugar  and  known  as  "milk  sugar,"  and  also 
materials  which  are  needed  to  make  muscles,  bones,  teeth,  and  other 
parts  of  the  body.  All  these  valuable  food  substances  are  ordinarily 
either  dissolved  or  floating  in  the  water  of  milk. 

Besides  all  this  nourishment,  milk  contains  a  very  small  amount 
of  a  substance  or  substances  now  thought  to  help  the  body  of  the 
child  to  make  good  use  of  other  foods.  For  this  reason  milk  is 
often  called  "growth  promoting."  Apparently  nothing  can  serve 
so  well  as  the  basis  for  the  diet  of  the  healthy  child. 

Good  whole  milk  is  desirable,  but  if  a  mother  is  obliged  to  choose 
between  clean  milk  and  rich  milk,  she  had  better  take  the  clean  milk. 
Best  of  all,  of  course,  is  clean  whole  milk,  but  if  that  can  not  be 
obtained  it  is  better  to  use  clean  fresh  skim  milk  than  dirty  or  ques- 
tionable whole  milk.  A  quart  of  skim  milk,  even  separator  skim 
milk,  contains  about  a  third  of  a  cupful  of  solid  food,  which  is  nearly 
all  there  was  in  the  whole  milk,  except  the  butter  fat. 

When  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  get  fresh  milk,  condensed,  pow- 
dered, or  evaporated  milk  may  be  used,  but  before  doing  this  parents 
should  try  in  every  way  to  get  fresh  milk  for  their  children. 

Compared  with  most  other  foods  milk  contains  much  lime  but 
very  little  iron.  Spinach  and  other  green  vegetables  and  egg  yolks 
are,  on  the  other  hand,  very  rich  in  iron.  This  is  one  reason  why 
combinations  of  egg  yolks  and  milk  and  of  vegetables  and  milk  are 
mentioned  so  often  in  this  bulletin. 

When  milk  is  given  to  babies  the  chill  is  usually  taken  from  it. 
It  is  safe  to  do  this  for  all  young  children.  When  milk  is  used  as  a 
drink  it  should  be  sipped,  not  gulped  down. 

Besides  being  served  as  a  beverage,  milk  is  often  combined  with 
many  other  foods,  as  follows: 

Bread  and  Milk. 

This  may  well  be  the  chief,  if  not  the  only,  dish  in  the  supper  of 
little  children.  If  the  milk  is  not  very  rich,  the  bread  should  be 
spread  with  butter.  Use  well-baked  bread,  at  least,  a  day  old,  or 
toast,  or  occasionally  crackers. 


FOOD  FOR  YOUNG  CHILD]  7 

Cejreals  and  Milk. 

Thoroughly  cooked  cereals  served  once  a  day  for  the  first  course 
and  once  a  day  for  dessert,  encourage  the  use  of  milk.  Directions 
for  preparing  them  will  be  found  on  page  15.  Any  cereal  may  be 
cooked  in  milk  besides  being  served  with  it.  Skim  milk  which  might 
otherwise  he  thrown  away  may  he  used  for  the  purpose.  Rice, 
cooked  in  an  uncovered  double  boiler,  or  in  a  pan  in  a  very  "slow" 
oven,  can  be  made  to  absorb  about  six  times  its  volume  of  -kim 
milk.  To  cook  a  cupful  of  rice  in  this  way  instead  of  in  water  may 
be  considered  equivalent,  so  far  as  tissue-forming  materials  are  con- 
cerned, to  serving  it  with  half  a  pound  of  lean  beef. 

Milk  Toast. 

The  following  is  a  good  method  for  making  milk  toast.  Put  on 
the  table  hot  crisp  toast  or  twice  baked  bread  (see  p.  15)  and  a 
pitcher  of  hot  milk,  slightly  salted.  One-fourth  teaspoonful  of  salt 
to  a  cupful  of  milk  is  sufficient.  Pour  the  milk  over  the  toast  as 
needed,  using  hot  bowls  or  deep  saucers  for  serving.  This  is  the 
easiest  way  of  serving  milk  toast,  and,  if  care  is  taken  to  have  all  the 
dishes  hot  and  to  salt  the  milk,  it  is  usually  acceptable.  A  supply  of 
twice-baked  bread  can  be  kept  on  hand  and  heated  as  needed  to 
crisp  it. 

Another  way  to  make  milk  toast  is  to  thicken  milk  and  pour  it 
over  toast.  For  1  cup  of  milk  allow  1^  level  teaspoons  of  flour  and 
\  teaspoon  of  salt.  Make  a  smooth  paste  out  of  the  flour,  salt,  and  a 
little  of  the  milk.  Heat  the  rest  of  the  milk;  add  the  flour  and  milk 
mixture  and  boil  for  about  5  minutes,  stirring  constantly,  or  cook  20 
minutes  in  a  double  boiler,  stirring  constantly  at  first  and  frequently 
later  on.  If  skim  milk  is  used,  a  level  teaspoonful  of  butter  or  bacon 
fat  should  be  added  after  the  gravy  is  prepared. 

An  easier  and  quicker  method  of  making  the  sauce  or  "milk 
gravy"  is  to  cook  the  flour  thoroughly  in  a  tablespoonful  of  fat 
before  adding  the  milk.  This,  however  j  is  not  thought  to  be  so  whole- 
some as  the  kind  of  gravy  in  which  the  flour  is  cooked  in  the  milk. 

Milk  gravy  may  be  combined  with  dried  beef  or  salt  codfish  which 
has  been  cut  into  small  pieces  and  soaked  in  warm  water,  or  with 
small  pieces  of  tender  meat,  chicken,  fish,  or  vegetables.  Such  gravy 
may  be  served  with  toast,  with  baked  or  boiled  potatoes,  or  with 
boiled  rice  or  other  cereals.  Dishes  of  this  land  are  more  suitable 
for  dinner  than  for  supper. 

Milk  toast  with  the  yolk  of  a  hard-boiled  egg  grated  over  it  makes 
an  attractive  dish.  The  whites _  of  the  hard-cooked  eggs  are  not 
suitable  for  a  young  child  nor  for  any  child  unless  they  are  finely 
chopped  or  unless  the  child  can  be  made  to  chew  them  well. 


8  FARMERS     BULLETIN   717. 

Cocoa. 

For  variety,  milk  flavored  with  cocoa  may  be  served.  Prepared 
cocoa  is  the  most  convenient,  but  cracked  cocoa  shells  or  nibs,  which 
require  long  boiling,  may  be  used.  A  warm  drink,  made  chiefly  out 
of  cocoa  and  water,  is  not  to  be  confused  with  the  more  nourishing 
drink  made  by  flavoring  milk  with  cocoa,  but  it  has  its  uses.  Like 
clear  soups,  which  contain  little  food  in  themselves,  it  may  lead  the 
child  to  eat  freely  of  bread  and  other  needed  foods. 

Milk  Soups. 

Another  good  way  to  serve  milk  to  children  is  in  soups.  Milk- 
vegetable  soups  are  made  from  cooked  vegetables,  chopped  or  strained, 
which  in  this  form  may  be  given  to  even  the  youngest  children,  and 
milk  (whole  or  skim)  slightly  thickened.  The  vegetable  may  be 
asparagus,  peas,  beans  of  various  kinds,  celery,  potatoes,  turnips, 
carrots,  spinach,  kale,  chard,  beet  roots  or  greens,  parsnips,  lettuce, 
cress,  cauliflower,  or  almost  any  other. 

GENERAL    RECIPE    EOR    MILK- VEGETABLE    SOUPS. 


f  of  a  cupful  of  a  thoroughly  cooked  vege- 
table, finely  chopped,  mashed,  or  put 
through  a  sieve. 


2  cupfuls  of  milk. 

1  tablespoonful  of  flour. 

1  tablespoonful  of  butter. 

Salt. 

Thicken  the  milk  with  the  flour  as  for  milk  gravy;  add  the  other 
ingredients.  If  the  soup  is  too  thick,  as  it  may  be  if  the  vegetable  is 
starchy,  thin  it  with  milk  or  water.  Milk  tomato  soup  is  not  recom- 
mended for  the  youngest  children.  When  it  is  served  a  little  soda 
should  be  added  to  prevent  the  milk  from  curdling. 


MILK    STEW. 


1  quart  of  milk. 

1  cupful   raw   potatoes    cut    into    small 
pieces. 


2  tablespoonfuls  of  butter  or  bacon  fat. 
1  cupful  of  codfish  cut  into  small  pieces 
or  just  enough  to  flavor  the  stew. 


Soak  the  fish  in  lukewarm  water  until  it  is  soft  and  the  salt  removed. 
Cook  the  potatoes  in  water  until  tender,  drain  them,  add  the  milk 
and  codfish,  and  bring  to  the  boiling  point;  add  the  butter,  and  salt 
to  taste. 

In  place  of  the  codfish  any  other  salt  or  fresh  fish,  oysters,  or  a 
little  chipped  beef  may  be  used.  Or  the  fish  may  be  omitted  and  the 
soup  made  savory  and  palatable  by  adding  a  few  drops  of  onion  juice, 
or  a  vegetable  cut  into  small  pieces  and  cooked  thoroughly. 

Cereal-Milk  Puddings. 

Puddings  made  with  milk  and  bread,  rice,  or  some  other  cereal 
food,  have  long  been  recognized  as  desirable  in  the  child's  diet. 


POOD  FOR  YOUNG   OHILDKEN.  9 

Such  milk  puddings  as  old-fashioned  rice  or  Indian  pudding  may 
bo  the  means  of  serving  much  milk  in  a  wholesome  way.  From  the 
following  recipe  for  rice  pudding  other  recipes  can  be  easily  made, 
tho  proportions  in  all  cases  being  about  the  same: 


KICK    PUDDING. 


1  quart  of  milk. 
J  cupful  of  rice. 
J  cupful  of  sugar. 


\  teaspoonful  of  salt. 

\  teaspoonful  of  ground  nutmeg,  or  cinna- 
mon, or  the  grated  rind  of  \  of  a  lemon. 


Wash  the  rice  thoroughly,  mix  the  ingredients,  and  bake  three 
hours  or  more  in  a  very  slow  oven,  stirring  occasionally  at  first. 

GENERAL   RECIPE    FOR   CEREAL-MILK   PUDDINGS. 

For  a  quart  of  milk  allow  one-third  of  a  cupful  of  any  coarse  cereal 
(rice,  corn  meal,  cracked  wheat,  oatmeal,  or  barley)  and  one-third 
of  a  cupful  of  brown,  white,  or  maple  sugar,  sirup,  honey,  or  molasses; 
one-half  teaspoonful  of  salt;  one-eighth  teaspoonful  of  spice.  The 
flavoring  may  be  omitted  when  honey  or  molasses  is  used. 

The  above  recipe  makes  quite  a  large  pudding.  It  is  often  con- 
venient to  make  a  smaller  one,  and  enough  for  a  child's  dinner  can 
be  made  in  the  double  boiler,  allowing  2  level  or  1  rounding  table- 
spoonful  each  of  cereal  and  of  sugar  (or  other  sweet)  to  a  cupful  of 
salted  and  flavored  milk.     Cook  an  hour  or  more  without  covering. 

These  puddings,  if  made  thin,  may  be  poured  over  stewed  prunes 
or  other  cooked  fruits,  and  are  a  good  and  economical  substitute  for 
the  cream  or  soft  custard  usually  used  for  that  purpose. 

CUSTARD  AND    OTHER  MILK  PUDDINGS. 

There  are  many  other  milk  dishes  which  are  used  in  the  same  way  as 
this  milk  and  cereal  pudding.     Recipes  for  some  of  them  follow: 

Junket,  or  "rennet  custard,"  is  milk  that  has  been  coagulated  or 
curdled,  a  process  not  unlike  one  of  the  first  steps  in  digestion.  The 
curdling  is  brought  about  by  the  addition  of  "junket  tablets"  to  the 
milk.  Milk  containing  rennet  will,  if  not  disturbed,  "set"  in  one 
piece  resembling  a  custard.  Junket  differs  little  from  milk  in  food 
value  except  for  the  presence  of  the  sugar  used  for  flavoring,  but  it 
gives  variety  to  the  diet.  If  served  very  cold  it  is  refreshing  in 
warm  weather. 


\  teaspoonful  of  salt. 

A  few  grains  of  nutmeg  or  cinnamon. 


2  cupfuls  of  milk. 

\  cupful  of  sugar,  honey,  or  sirup. 

1  junket  tablet. 

Warm  the  milk  to  about  the  temperature  of  the  body,  crush  the 
tablet,  and  add  it  with  the  other  ingredients  to  the  milk.     Pour  into 
one  large  or  several  small  dishes  and  place  in  a  warm  (not  hot)  place 
to  harden.     Cool  before  serving. 
26604°— Bull.  717—16 2 


10  farmers'  bulletin  717. 


30ILED   CUSTARD. 


$  teaspoonful  of  salt. 
Flavoring:. 


3  egg  yolks. 

2  cupfuls  of  milk. 

J  cupful  of  sugar,  honey,  or  sirup. 

Heat  the  milk  in  a  double  boiler.  Thoroughly  mix  the  eggs  and 
sugar  and  pour  the  milk  over  them.  Return  the  mixture  to  the 
double  boiler  and  heat  it  until  it  thickens,  stirring  constantly.  Cool 
and  flavor.  If  the  custard  curdles,  remove  it  from  the  fire  and  beat 
with  a  Dover  egg  beater.  This  custard  may  be  served  in  place  of 
cream  on  many  kinds  of  dessert. 

FLOATING  ISLAND. 

In  this  dish  the  whites  of  eggs  left  over  from  boiled  custard  can  be 
used  to  serve  with  it.  Beat  the  whites  until  stiff;  sweeten  them  a 
little;  and  cook  them  in  a  covered  dish  over  water  which  is  hot  but 
not  boiling;  or  cook  them  on  top  of  the  hot  milk  which  is  to  be  used 
in  making  custard.  Lift  them  out  with  a  wire  egg  beater  or  split 
spoon,  and  place  on  top  of  the  custard.  Decorate  with  small  bits 
of  jelly. 

TAPIOCA  CUSTARD. 

Tapioca  custards  may  be  made  as  follows:  Add  to  the  list  of  in- 
gredients for  boiled  custard  one-fourth  cupful  of  pearl  tapioca. 
Soak  the  tapioca  in  water  for  an  hour  or  two,  drain  it,  and  cook  in  the 
milk  until  it  is  transparent.     Proceed  as  for  boiled  custard. 

BAKED  CUSTARD. 

In  making  allow  1  egg  and  2  level  teaspoonfuls  of  sugar  and  a  few 
grains  of  salt  and  of  nutmeg  for  each  cupful  of  milk.  Beat  the  eggs 
slightly  and  add  the  other  ingredients.  Bake  in  cups  set  in  a  pan  of 
water  in  a  moderate  oven. 

SIMPLE   ICE   CREAMS. 

In  the  way  they  are  used,  ice  cream  and  frozen  custard  may  be 
grouped  with  the  puddings.  Plain  ice  cream  made  out  of  thin  cream, 
sweetened  and  flavored,  or  out  of  cream  and  custard  mixed,  may  be 
given  to  children  occasionally. 

A  good  ice  cream  may  be  made  as  follows :  Allow  one-fourth  cupful 
of  sugar  to  each  cupful  of  thin  cream  (half  milk  and  half  cream); 
flavor  and  freeze. 

A  frozen  custard,  commonly  called  by  housekeepers  "ice  cream" 
or  "  French  ice  cream,"  which  contains  eggs  as  well  as  milk  and  cream, 
may  be  made  as  follows:  For  each  half  cupful  of  milk  allow  one- 
fourth  cupful  of  sugar,  one  or  two  egg  yolks  or  one  whole  egg,  and  a 
half  cupful  of  cream.  Make  a  custard  out  of  all  the  ingredients  but 
the  cream.     When  it  is  cool,  flavor  it,  add  the  cream,  and  freeze. 


FOOD  FOR  YOUNG  CHILDREN.  11 

CARAMEL  FLAVORING  FOR  USE  IN  CUSTARDS,  ICE   CBEAM8,  AND   OTHEB  DESSERTS. 

An  economical  flavoring  for  any  of  the  above  desserts  may  be  made 
by  browning  or  caramelizing  ordinary  sugar.  To  each  cupful  of 
sugar  add  one-fourth  of  a  cupful  of  water.  Heat  until  well  browne<l . 
stirring  constantly  even  after  the  dish  has  been  taken  from  the  fire, 
and  until  the  danger  of  burning  in  the  hot  dish  is  passed.  Beforo 
the  mixture  hardens,  add  hot  water  and  cook  until  it  is  about  the 
consistency  of  thick  sirup.     Bottle  and  save  for  use  as  needed. 

MEAT,  FISH,  POULTRY,  EGGS,  AND  MEAT  SUBSTITUTES. 

The  other  foods  included  in  group  1  with  milk  (considered  by  far 
the  most  important  of  them  all  for  children)  are  meat,  fish,  poultr}*, 
eggs,  and  meat  substitutes. 

In  some  families  children  do  not  get  enough  meat  and  eggs;  in 
others  they  get  too  much.  A  good  general  rule  commonly  followed 
is  to  give  a  child  2  years  old  or  over,  an  egg  every  other  day  and 
about  the  same  amount  (2  ounces)  of  meat,  fish,  or  poultry  on  the 
days  that  come  between.  If  for  any  reason  meat  is  omitted  from 
the  child's  diet  special  care  must  be  taken  to  see  that  other  suitable 
foods  take  its  place — preferably  an  extra  amount  of  milk  or  eggs. 

Broiling  and  roasting  are  the  best  methods  of  preparing  tender 
meat.  Tough  meat  should  be  stewed  or  prepared  in  a  fireless  cooker, 
or  first  chopped  and  then  broiled. 

It  is  important  to  teach  children  to  chew  meat  and  other  foods 
properly. 

Fried  meats,  particularly  those  which  are  pan  fried  or  cooked  in  a 
small  amount  of  fat,  should  not  be  given  to  young  children.  One 
reason  for  this  is  that  they  are  likely  to  be  overcooked  and  tough, 
at  least  on  the  outside,  and  so  are  likely  not  to  be  properly  chewed 
and  to  be  swallowed  in  large  pieces.  Another  reason  is  that  the 
fat  used  in  frying  and  also  that  which  tries  out  of  the  meat  is  likely 
to  be  scorched  and  changed  in  composition.  When  this  is  the  case, 
it  is  almost  certain  to  be  harmful. 

Some  recipes  for  cooking  meat  for  children  follow: 

Broiled  Chopped  Meat. 

Many  cuts  of  meat  too  tough  to  be  broiled  whole  may  be  prepared 
very  satisfactorily  by  being  chopped,  salted,  and  broiled.  Allow 
about  one-half  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  a  pound  of  meat.  For  very 
little  children  the  meat  should  be  scraped  instead  of  being  chopped, 
for  in  this  way  the  connective  tissue  is  taken  out.  An  egg  or  a  little 
milk  may  also  be  added.  The  most  important  point  is  careful  han- 
dling, for  if  the  me&t  is  pressed  together  it  becomes  tough  and  hard. 
If  a  wire  broiler  is  used,  the  cakes  should  not  be  squeezed  between 
the  two  sides.  To  avoid  this,  lay  them  on  top  of  the  broiler  and 
turn  them  with  a  knife  and  fork. 


12  FARMERS      BULLETIN    111. 

Meat  Stews. 

Stews  made  out  of  meat  and  vegetables  offer  a  very  great  variety 
of  dishes,  good  in  themselves  and  good  also  because  they  encourage 
the  eating  of  bread.  The  meat  used  should,  of  course,  be  in  good 
condition  but  need  not  be  from  a  tender  cut.  The  lower-priced  cuts 
may  be  used  with  good  results,  provided  they  are  made  tender  by 
long,  slow  cooking.  Any  vegetable  may  be  added,  including  the 
tougher  parts  of  lettuce,  and  the  leaves  of  celery.  Rice,  barley, 
macaroni,  or  even  crusts  of  stale  bread  may  be  used  in  the  stew  to 
give  variety.  A  stew  containing  a  little  meat,  with  one  or  more 
vegetables  and  a  cereal,  comes  near  to  supplying  all  the  needed 
foods,  other  than  milk. 

MEAT   STEW. 

2  pounds  of    one  of  the  cheaper  cuts  of     \  onion,  chopped. 

beef.  \  cup  of  flour. 

4  cups  of  potatoes  cut  into  small  pieces.      Salt. 
§  cup  each   of  turnips  and  carrots   cut 

into  J-inch  cubes. 

Cut  the  meat  into  small  pieces,  cover  with  boiling  water,  boil  for 
five  minutes,  and  then  cook  at  a  lower  temperature  until  the  meat  is 
tender.  This  will  require  about  three  hours  on  the  stove  or  five 
hours  in  the  tireless  cooker.  Add  the  carrots,  turnips,  and  onions, 
and  salt  during  the  last  hour  of  cooking,  and  the  potatoes  20  minutes 
before  serving.  Thicken  with  the  flour  diluted  with  cold  water.  If 
the  dish  is  made  in  the  tireless  cooker,  the  mixture  must  be  reheated 
when  the  vegetables  are  put  in. 

There  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  keeping  a  soup  pot  on  the  stove 
all  the  time,  provided  great  care  is  taken  not  to  allow  the  contents  to 
grow  stale.  Into  this  pot  can  go  clean  portions  of  uncooked  food  and 
also  clean  foods  left  from  the  table,  such  as  meat,  milk,  mashed  pota- 
toes, or  other  vegetables,  crusts,  cold  cereal  mushes,  and  even  fruits. 
Soups  made  from  such  materials  may  not  have  great  nutritive  value, 
but,  like  those  made  out  of  materials  bought  for  the  purpose,  they 
encourage  the  use  of  a  large  amount  of  bread,  particularly  if  carefully 

seasoned. 

Poultry. 

Chicken  or  turkey  can  be  used  for  variety  in  a  child's  diet  and  are 
palatable  stewed  and  served  with  rice.  If  roast  chicken  is  used,  select 
portions  which  are  tender.  It  is  well  not  to  give  a  young  child  either 
highly  seasoned  stuffing  (dressing)  or  rich  gravy. 

Fish. 

The  use  of  cured  fish,  fresh  fish,  and  oysters  in  stews  has  been 
spoken  of  above.     Boiled  or  stewed  fish  is  also  good  for  variety. 


FOOD    FOB    Yor\<;    CHILDREN".  13 

Eggs. 

Eggs  are  especially  useful  food  Cor  young  children.  The  chief  poinl 
to  remember  in  preparing  them  for  children  is  that  they  must  not  be 
overcooked  or  they  are  likely  to  cause  indigestion,  as  experience  has 
shown.  Everyone  knows  how  the  heat  of  cooking  hardens  the  < 
and  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  the  digestive  juices  might  have 
difficulty  in  penetrating  such  hard  substance  as  the  white  of  a  hard- 
boiled  egg.  Overcooked  yolks  are  also  thought  to  be  hard  to  digi~i . 
However,  when  eggs  are  cooked  in  the  shell,  the  heat  reaches  the 
white  before  it  does  the  yolk,  and  so  there  is  more  danger  of  the 
white  being  overcooked  than  of  the  yolk.  The  best  ways  of  serving 
eggs  for  children  are  poached,  soft-boiled,  or  coddled,  though  they 
may  be  scrambled  for  a  change  if  one  is  careful  not  to  scorch  the  fat 
used  or  to  overcook  the  egg. 

Coddled  Eggs. 

Many  means  have  been  suggested  for  cooking  eggs  in  such  a  way  that 
the  yolks  will  be  cooked  and  the  whites  will  not  be  overcooked.  One 
of  the  most  satisfactory  is  by  coddling  and  is  done  as  follows :  Allow 
a  cupful  of  water  to  each  egg,  bring  the  water  to  the  boiling  point, 
remove  it  from  the  fire,  put  in  the  eggs,  cover  the  dish  closely,  and 
leave  the  eggs  in  the  water  for  about  seven  minutes.  There  is  some 
uncertainty  about  this  method,  for  eggs  differ  in  weight  and  also  in 
temperature  at  the  time  the  cooking  begins.  On  the  whole,  however, 
this  method  can  be  more  depended  on  than  others.  Good  results  can 
be  obtained  by  pouring  hot  water  over  eggs,  if  the  same  dish  with  the 
same  amount  of  water  is  always  used,  but  each  cook  must  make  her 
own  rules. 

Meat  Substitutes. 

Milk  and  eggs,  as  stated  above,  are  common  meat  substitutes. 
Among  vegetable  foods,  dried  beans,  peas,  lentils,  and  cowpeas, 
which  are  often  classed  together  and  called  legumes,  are  the  best 
substitutes  for  meat  in  the  diet  of  older  people,  chiefly  because  they 
have  large  amounts  of  nitrogen  needed  for  muscle  building.  In  this 
respect  they  have  some  advantage,  though  not  a  great  one,  over 
cereals.  Beans  and  the  other  legumes  are  not  to  be  recommended 
for  young  children  except  when  milk,  meat,  eggs,  fish,  and  poultry 
are  not  to  be  obtained.  When  used  they  should  be  cooked  until 
they  are  reduced  to  a  mush.  Since  the  skins  are  likely  to  be  tough, 
it  is  well  to  put  the  cooked  legumes  through  a  sieve. 

A  general  recipe  for  soups  made  from  beans,  peas,  lentils,  cowpeas, 
and  other  legumes  follows : 

SOUP  PROM  DRIED  BEANS  OR  OTHER  LEGUMES. 


1  cup  dried  legumes. 

1  quart  of  water  or  soup  stock. 

2  tablespoonfuls  of  butter  or  savory  fat. 


2  tablespoonfuls  of  flour. 
Salt  and  other  flavoring. 


14  FARMERS      BULLETIN    717. 

Soak  the  dried  legumes  in  water  over  night.  Drain,  add  the  water 
or  stock,  cook  slowly  on  top  of  the  stove  for  three  hours  or  in  a  fire- 
less  cooker  for  four  or  five  hours  or  until  tender.  Renew  the  water 
as  it  boils  away.  Strain  and  thicken  with  the  fat  and  flour  rubbed 
together.  These  soups  may  be  flavored  in  many  ways.  Some- 
times a  tomato,  onion,  a  few  celery  tops,  a  sprig  of  parsley,  or  a 
mixture  of  vegetables  is  boiled  with  the  beans  or  peas,  or  just  before 
serving  a  few  drops  of  onion  juice,  a  little  celery  salt,  or  one-half 
level  teaspoonful  of  curry  powder  is  added.  Sometimes  the  water 
used  is  that  in  which  ham  or  other  meat  has  been  boiled,  but  in  such 
cases  care  must  be  taken  not  to  have  the  liquid  too  fatty. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  2.— BREAD  AND  OTHER  CEREAL  FOODS. 

Cereal  foods  of  some  sort  are  used  by  children  practically  all  over 
the  world.  Bread  is  the  commonest  cereal  food  in  this  country, 
though  cereal  mushes  are  also  very  generally  used.  Well-baked 
bread  and  thoroughly  cooked  breakfast  cereals  are  both  good  for 
children  and  with  milk  should  make  up  a  large  part  of  the  diet. 
These  two  foods,  bread  and  breakfast  cereals,  provide  almost  the 
same  kinds  of  nourishment.  Bread  may  therefore  take  the  place, 
to  a  certain  extent,  of  cereal  mushes  and  cereal  mushes  may  take  the 
place  of  bread,  but  neither  can  take  the  place  of  milk,  meat,  eggs, 
fruits,  and  vegetables. 

An  ordinary  slice  of  bread  (a  f-inch  slice  cut  from  an  ordinary 
loaf)  is  equal  in  food  value  to  about  half  a  cupful  of  boiled  or  steamed 
cereal  and  to  about  a  cupful  of  puffed  or  flaked  cereal.  The  mother 
who  must  feed  her  child  very  economically  should  calculate  the  cost 
of  each  and  decide  which  is  cheapest. 

The  relation  of  food  to  the  condition  of  the  bowels  is  an  important 
matter.  Grains,  particularly  those  containing  the  outer  or  branny 
layers  or  coats,  are  laxative;  so,  too,  are  such  mildly  acid  fruits  as 
apples,  oranges,  and  grapefruit.  So  far,  therefore,  as  the  important 
matter  of  preventing  constipation  is  concerned,  coarse  grains  and 
mildly  acid  fruits  serve  the  same  purpose.  When  fruits  are  to  be 
obtained  in  abundance,  the  kind  of  cereal  served  is  not  of  great 
importance.  When  they  are  not,  the  coarser  cereals  should  be  used. 
In  the  case  of  both  cereals  and  fruits,  it  is  possible  to  overdo.  Some- 
times the  coarser  parts,  such  as  bran  and  skin,  do  not  agree  with  the 
child  and,  under  these  circumstances,  they  should  be  removed  from 
the  food  before  it  is  served.  Some  mothers  find  it  necessary  to 
strain  oatmeal  porridge,  for  example,  and  to  remove  the  skins  of 
apples. 

BREAD. 

The  yeast-raised  bread  given  to  young  children  should  be  at  least 
a  day  old  or  should  be  toasted  or  twice  baked.     Most  hot  breads  are 


FOOD    BOB    voi.n'i;   CHILDREN.  L5 

likely  to  bo  swallowed  in  large  pieces  and  are  therefore  not  desirable. 
Plot  breads  which  are  almost  all  crust,  like  thin  tea  biscuits  or  crisp 
rolls,  are  least  likely  to  cause  trouble. 

MILK  TOAST. 

This  very  common  bread  dish  has  been  discussed  under  milk.  (See 
p.  7.) 

TWICE-BAKED  BREAD. 

Bread  cut  or  torn  into  small  pieces  and  heated  in  a  very  slow  oven 
until  thoroughly  dried  and  very  delicately  browned  is  good  food  for 
children.  The  warming  oven  of  a  coal  stove  is  about  hot  enough  for 
this  purpose.  In  the  case  of  gas  ovens  it  is  often  difficult  to  get  the 
gas  low  enough  without  having  the  door  open  a  little  way.  The 
advantage  of  tearing  instead  of  cutting  the  bread  is  that  it  makes 
it  lighter  in  texture  and  easier  to  eat.  The  crust  can  be  torn  off 
from  all  but  the  ends  of  a  loaf  of  bread  in  one  piece.  This  crust 
should  be  torn  into  pieces  about  2  inches  wide.  The  inside  of  an 
ordinary  loaf  of  bread  will  make  16  pieces  of  convenient  size.  Tear 
first  across  the  loaf  and  then  tear  each  half  into  eight  pieces.  It  is 
usually  necessary  to  make  a  small  cut  first  in  order  to  start  the 
tearing.  It  is  well  to  keep  the  crusts  separate,  as  otherwise  they 
are  likely  to  get  too  brown.  Such  bread  will  need  to  be  reheated 
before  being  served  unless  it  is  kept  in  a  warm  place,  like  a  warm- 
ing oven. 

The  above  is  also  a  good  way  to  use  stale  bread.  Some  people 
crush  it  and  use  it  with  milk  as  a  breakfast  food. 

BREAKFAST  CEREALS. 

Cereal  mushes  and  other  breakfast  cereals  are  very  common  foods. 
Almost  all  of  the  well-known  grains  are  used  for  this  purpose,  and 
there  are  many  such  products,  owing  to  differences  in  manufacture. 

Except  when  used  for  dessert,  cereal  mushes  and  ready-to-eat 
cereals  should  be  served  with  milk  and  with  very  little,  if  any,  sugar. 
If  the  cereals  are  heavily  sweetened,  children  are  likely  to  eat  so 
much  that  they  neglect  other  and  much-needed  foods.  If  carefully 
salted,  mushes  are  more  likely  to  satisfy  the  taste  without  sugar 
than  otherwise.  Well-cooked  cereals  with  milk  or  stewed  fruit  or  a 
little  molasses,  sirup,  honey,  or  sugar  make  good  desserts  for  dinner, 
lunch,  or  supper.  If  preferred,  dried  fruits,  like  dates  and  raisins, 
may  be  cooked  with  the  cereal  to  sweeten  it  and  to  give  flavor. 

COOKING  CEREAL  BREAKFAST  FOODS. 

It  is  bard  to  give  general  rules  for  cooking  cereals,  for  there  are  so 
many  kinds,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  no  danger  of  overcook- 
ing and  much  danger  of  undercooking  them.  Some  grains  need 
longer  cooking  than  others — corn  meal,  for  example,  needs  at  least 


16  farmers'  bulletin  717. 

three  hours  and  rice  hardly  more  than  half  an  hour.  In  general, 
whole  grains,  like  whole  wheat,  or  grains  more  or  less  finely  broken, 
like  cracked  wheat,  require  longer  cooking  (three  hours  at  least) 
than  more  finely-ground  grains,  such  as  farina  (which  should  be 
cooked  one  hour  at  least).  Breakfast  foods  made  from  grains  with 
the  outer  coverings  left  on  require  more  cooking  than  those  with 
the  outer  covering  removed — whole  barley,  for  example,  more  than 
pearl  barley.  Many  cereal  foods,  particularly  the  rolled  and  flaked 
types,  have  been  partially  cooked  at  the  factory.  These  require 
less  cooking  in  the  home  than  those  which  have  had  no  such  treat- 
ment; but  if  they  are  to  be  served  to  children  such  cereals  should 
be  cooked  at  home  for  at  least  an  hour.  There  are  also  cereal  break- 
fast foods  which  have  been  still  more  thoroughly  cooked  at  the  fac- 
tory, either  by  parching  in  addition  to  flaking  or  by  some  other  spe- 
cial method.  These  are  improved  by  putting  them  into  the  oven 
long  enough  at  least  to  crisp  them. 

Oatmeal,  corn  meal,  and  many  other  granular  cereals  can  be  put 
directly  into  cold  water  and  cooked  satisfactorily  in  a  double  boiler 
without  stirring,  the  method  being  particularly  good  in  the  case  of 
corn  meal,  which  is  likely  to  be  lumpy  if  stirred  into  hot  water.  A 
convenient  method  for  cooking  cereals  is  to  mix  with  the  usual 
quantity  of  water,  bring  to  the  boiling  point,  boil  for  three  or  four 
minutes,  and  then  put  into  a  fireless  cooker  and  leave  10  or  12  hours. 
Porridge  or  mush  made  in  this  way  must  be  reheated  before  serving. 

The  quantity  of  water  required  differs  with  the  cereal.  A  cupful 
of  rolled  oats  requires  at  least  2  cupfuls  of  water;  oatmeal  or  corn 
meal,  4  cupfuls;  and  rice,  3  cupfuls. 

A  level  teaspoonful  of  salt  to  a  cupful  of  cereal  will  usually  be 
right,  but  it  is  well  to  experiment  a  little  with  an  unfamiliar  cereal, 
since  failure  to  salt  mushes  properly  very  often  leads  children  to  dis- 
like them. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  3.— BUTTER,  CREAM,  TABLE  OIL,  AND  OTHER  FATTY 

FOODS. 

Fat  is  an  important  part  of  the  food  of  children.  This  is  not  sur- 
prising, for  it  is  found  in  considerable  amounts  in  human  milk,  the 
natural  food  for  babies.  Butter,  which  consists  chiefly  of  separated 
milk  fat,  and  cream,  which  is  rich  in  milk  fat  and  also  in  the  other 
nourishing  substances  of  milk,  are  both  wholesome.  Salad  oils  of 
various  kinds  (olive,  cottonseed,  peanut,  and  others)  may  be  given 
to  children  in  small  amounts.  Those  who  are  not  used  to  table  oil 
must  often  be  trained  to  like.it.  This  can  usually  be  done  by  intro- 
ducing it  very  gradually  into  the  diet.  A  good  way  to  serve  it  is  on 
spinach  and  other  greens  or  on  tender  salad  vegetables. 


FOOD   FOE   VOi'N'c   OHILDB  17 

Thoro  is  more  than  an  ounce  of  fat  (at  least  2\  level  tablespoonfius) 
in  a  quart  of  wholo  milk.  If  the  healthy  child  is  given  a  quart  of 
milk,  has  butter  on  its  broad,  and  meat  or  an  egg  once  a  day,  ho  gel  3 
enough  fat  and  that  which  he  receives  is  in  wholesome  form.  It  is 
well,  therefore,  not  to  give  such  fatty  foods  as  pastry,  fried  meats 
and  vegetables,  and  doughnuts  or  rich  cakes,  for  in  these  the  fats 
are  not  in  so  good  a  form  for  children,  as  experience  lias  shown.  If 
the  child  is  constipated,  the  occasional  use  of  cream  or  salad  oil  is 
desirable,  for  fat  in  abundance  is  laxative. 

Bacon  or  salt  pork,  cut  very  thin  and  carefully  cooked,  may  be 
given  occasionally,  but  thick  pieces  with  much  lean  are  not  desirable. 
In  preparing  bacon  or  salt  pork  it  is  very  important  not  to  burn  the 
fat.  To  avoid  this  they  should  be  cooked  in  one  of  the  following 
ways:  Put  the  slices  on  a  broiler  or  wire  frame  over  a  pan;  place 
the  pan  into  a  hot  oven  and  cook  long  enough  to  remove  most  of  the 
fat.  Or  keep  a  pan  on  purpose  for  cooking  bacon  on  top  of  a  stove 
and  let  the  fat  which  fries  out  of  it  collect  in  the  pan,  taking  care 
that  none  is  burned.  In  time  so  much  fat  will  collect  that  bacon 
oan  be  dropped  into  this  hot  fat  and  will  be  less  likely  to  burn  than 
if  placed  on  a  hot  pan. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  4.— VEGETABLES  AND  FRUITS. 

Two  very  valuable  kinds  of  food  are  here  grouped  together,  namely, 
vegetables  and  fruits.  This  is  done  because  they  are  similar  in 
that  both  kinds  supply  iron,  lime,  and  other  mineral  matter  to  the 
body,  and  also  mild  acids  (not  always  in  such  amounts  that  one  can 
taste  them),  such  as  those  which  are  found  in  oranges,  apples,  and 
tomatoes. 

Vegetables  are  an  important  but  often  a  neglected  part  of  a  child's 
diet.  They  should  be  served  at  least  once  a  day,  as  they  help  to  keep 
the  bowels  in  good  condition.  Several  of  the  ways  of  accustoming 
the  child  to  the  taste  of  unfamiliar  vegetables  have  already  been 
suggested  here.  They  may  be  used  as  flavoring  for  soups  and  stews, 
may  be  added  to  milk  or  meat  stews,  or  served  with  meat  gravy.  If 
gravy  is  used,  it  should  not  be  too  fat  nor  made  with  scorched  fat. 

Young  children  may  be  given  the  young  and  tender  parts  of  celery 
and  lettuce,  a  satisfactory  way  of  serving  being  in  the  form  of  sand- 
wiches. For  this  purpose  they  should  be  slightly  salted  and  the 
celery  should  be  chopped  or  cut  into  small  pieces. 

All  vegetables,  whether  served  raw  or  cooked,  should  be  washed 
with  great  care.  Large  vegetables  like  potatoes  and  carrots  should 
be  scrubbed  with  a  brush.  Greens  should  be  washed  leaf  by  leaf 
under  running  water,  or  in  a  large  amount  of  water.  In  the  latter 
any  sand  which  dings  to  them  is  likely  to  sink.     To  prevent  it  from 


18  FARMERS*  BULLETIN   717. 

again  getting  on  the  vegetables  lift  them  from  the  water  instead  of 
pouring  the  water  off. 

Most  vegetables  when  served  as  a  separate  dish  should  be  either 
steamed,  boiled,  baked,  or  stewed.  If  the  supply  of  fresh  vegetables 
is  not  generous,  the  juice  in  which  they  are  cooked  should  be  used 
with  them  as  far  as  possible,  or  put  into  soups  or  stews. 

Experience  has  shown  that  vegetables,  particularly  green  vege- 
tables, are  at  their  best  when  cooked  until  tender,  but  not  until 
completely  wilted.     Spinach  requires  cooking  from  20  to  30  minutes. 

Vegetables  should  be  served  either  quite  simply  or  with  a  little 
milk,  cream,  or  butter,  to  improve  or  vary  the  flavor.  As  said  before, 
oil  may  be  served  on  greens  instead  of  butter.  These  simple  methods 
are  better  than  complicated  ones  like  frying  or  scalloping.  For  the 
smallest  children  such  vegetables  as  greens  should  be  finely  chopped, 
and  if  the  tougher  portions  of  other  vegetables,  the  skins  of  green 
peas,  for  example,  are  found  to  disagree  with  a  child,  these  portions 
should  be  removed  by  putting  the  cooked  vegetable  through  a  sieve. 
No  such  vegetables  as  raw  radishes  or  cucumbers,  which  might 
easily  be  swallowed  in  large  pieces,  should  be  given  to  small  children. 

Fruits,  which  with  vegetables  make  up  group  4,  are  also  very  im- 
portant in  the  child's  diet.  They  supply  mild  acids,  and  they  are 
important  for  their  flavor,  for  their  laxative  effects,  and  no  doubt  for 
other  reasons  also.  This  laxative  effect  is  well  recognized  in  the 
very  general  use  of  orange  juice,  prunes,  and  apples.  Then,  too,  the 
fruits,  like  the  vegetables,  have  mineral  elements  which  the  body 
requires. 

Fruits  should  be  served  in  some  form  at  least  once  a  day.  In  gen- 
eral, the  same  rule  should  be  followed  as  for  vegetables  in  deciding 
in  what  form  they  should  be  served.  Fruit  juices  and  the  pulp  of 
cooked  fruit,  baked  apples  and  pears,  and  stewed  prunes,  for  ex- 
ample, are  safest.  Whether  the  skins  should  be  given  depends 
partly  on  the  age  and  health  of  the  child  and  partly  on  the  way  the 
fruit  is  prepared.  If  the  skins  are  very  tender,  they  are  not  likely 
to  cause  trouble,  except  with  very  young  children.  When  apples 
and  pears  are  baked  the  skins  can  be  made  tender  by  frequent  basting. 

FOOD  GROUP  NO.  5.— SIMPLE  SWEETS. 

Simple  sweets  are  such  things  as  lump  sugar,  maple  sugar,  sirups, 
honey,  and  plain  candy,  and  those  foods  in  which  sugar  is  combined 
in  simple  forms  with  fruit  juices  (in  lemonade,  water  ice,  jelly,  etc.), 
with  flour  or  starch,  as  in  plain  cakes  (cup  cake,  sponge  cake,  cookies), 
and  with  fruit,  as  in  jams,  marmalades,  and  similar  things.  Sweets 
which  contain  much  fat,  like  rich  cakes  and  pastry,  and  foods  which 
are  made  rich  with  nuts  or  dried  or  candied  fruits,  or  those  which 
are  highly  flavored  or  spiced,  can  not  be  classed  as  simple  sweets, 


FOOD  FOLl   YOUNG    CHILDREN.  19 

Sugar  is  a  desirable  part  of  the  diet,  and  the  only  objection  which 
can  be  raised  to  its  use  in  reasonable  amounts  in  a  mixed  diet,  is  that 
it  is  sometimes  allowed  to  take  the  place  of  foods  which  come  under 
the  first  four  groups  mentioned  in  this  bulletin,  and  so  spoils  the 
child's  appetite  for  those  other  important  things.  Under  these  con- 
ditions it  is  harmful,  because  its  improper  use  has  led  to  bad  food 
habits.  Sweets  should  not  be  given  between  meals  or  during  the 
first  course  of  a  meal.  Careful  mothers  who  forbid  their  children 
eating  candy  at  odd  times  sometimes  give  one  or  two  pieces  of  whole- 
some candy  as  a  "treat"  with  dessert  at  dinner. 

A  REVIEW. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  some  general  principles  which  should  gov- 
ern the  young  child's  diet  have  been  stated  and  facts  given  about 
foods  the  child  should  have  and  about  cooking  them. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  the  mother  might  ask  herself  questions 
like  the  following  to  make  sure  that  she  has  taken  into  account  the 
things  to  which  her  attention  has  been  directed : 

Did  each  child  take  about  a  quart  of  milk  in  one  form  or  another  ? 

Have  I  taken  pains  to  see  that  the  milk  that  comes  to  my  house 
has  been  handled  in  a  clean  way  ? 

If  I  was  obliged  to  serve  skim  milk  for  the  sake  of  cleanness  or 
economy,  did  I  supply  a  little  extra  fat  in  some  other  way? 

Were  the  fats  which  I  gave  the  child  of  the  wholesome  kind 
found  in  milk,  cream,  butter,  and  salad  oils,  or  of  the  un- 
wholesome kind  found  hi  doughnuts  and  other  fried  foods  ? 

Did  I  make  good  use  of  all  skim  milk  by  using  it  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  cereal  mushes,  puddings,  or  otherwise  ? 

Were  all  cereal  foods  thoroughly  cooked  ? 

Was  the  bread  soggy  ?  If  so,  was  it  because  the  loaves  were  too 
large,  or  because  they  were  not  cooked  long  enough  ? 

Did  I  take  pains  to  get  a  variety  of  foods  from  the  cereal  group 
by  serving  a  cereal  mush  once  during  the  day  ? 

Did  I  keep  in  mind  that  while  cereals  are  good  foods  in  them- 
selves, they  do  not  take  the  place  of  meat,  milk,  eggs,  fruit, 
and  vegetables  ? 

Did  I  keep  in  mind  that  children  who  do  not  have  plenty  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  need  whole-wheat  bread  and  whole  grains 
served  in  other  ways  ? 

Did  each  child  have  an  egg  or  an  equivalent  amount  of  meat, 
fish,  or  poultry  ? 

Did  any  child  have  more  than  this  of  flesh  foods  or  eggs  ?  If  so, 
might  the  money  not  have  been  better  spent  for  fruits  or 
vegetables  ? 


20  FARMERS     BULLETIN    117. 

If  I  was  unable  to  get  milk,  meat,  fish,  poultry,  or  eggs,  did  I 
serve  dried  beans,  or  other  legumes  thoroughly  cooked  and 
carefully  seasoned  ? 
Were  vegetables  and  fruits  both  on  the  child's  bill  of  fare  once 
during  the  day  ?     If  not,  was  it  because  we  have  not  taken  pains 
to  raise  them  in  our  home  garden  ? 
Did  either  the  fruit  or  the  vegetable  disagree  with  the  child  ?     If 
so,  ought  I  to  have  cooked  it  more  thoroughly,  chopped  it 
more  finely,  or  have  removed  the  skins  or  seeds  ? 
Was  the  child  given  sweets  between  meals,  or  anything  that 

tempted  him  to  eat  when  he  was  not  hungry  ? 
Was  he  allowed  to  eat  sweets  when  he  should  have  been  drinking 

milk  or  eating  cereals,  meat,  eggs,  fruit,  or  vegetables  ? 
Were  the  sweets  given  to  the  child  simple,  i.  e.,  unmixed  with 
much  fat  or  with  hard  substances  difficult  to  chew,  and  not 
highly  flavored  % 
Was  the  child  made  to  eat  slowly  and  chew  his  food  properly  ? 
A  young  child  may  be  considered  well  fed  if  he  has  plenty  of  milk, 
bread,  and  other  cereal  food;  an  egg  once  a  day  or  its  equivalent  in 
flesh  foods;  a  small  portion  each  of  carefully  prepared  fruits  and 
vegetables,  with  a  small  amount  of  sweet  food  after  his  appetite  for 
other  foods  is  satisfied.     If  there  is  too  much  or  too  little  of  any  of 
these,  his  diet  is  one  sided. 


WASHINGTON  :   GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  :    1916 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 

This  t>Qgk  is  due  on  the  date  indicated  below,  or  at  the 
expiration  of  a  definite  period  after  the  date  of  borrowing, 
as  provided  by  the  rules  of  the  Library  or  by  special  ar- 
rangement with  the  Librarian  in  charge. 

DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

DATE  BORROWED 

DATE  DUE 

1 9  ffl&  h 

JV  0  92003 

C2B(638)ME0 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


i||llil!l|rii';|  I    h  lllil  nil  -I 

0041080211 


RJ206 
Hunt 


H91 


